I'm dead tired. No, seriously, I'm exhausted, and I have to drag my feet to the car. I want to get into my bed right now, but the night isn't over yet.
"May I ask who this child is?" Todd asks as he opens the door of the backseat, polite and gallant as always. "Will he be staying at the estate?"
Sir Akerley can't care less about a demon servant and climbs into the car to sit in the middle. James awkwardly goes around to sit on the other side, while Jordan, who's back into human form, takes place in the passenger seat. No one has answered Todd, but someone has to.
"That's the vampire patriarch." Come on, dude, couldn't you at least make a shocked face? "He'll be spending the night at our house, so…"
"Don't worry." Todd bows, not probing further. "I'll prepare an adequate room for our esteemed guest."
Then, the demon closes the door as I buckle my belt. Now, let's deal with the elephant in the room, aka the boy sitting between James and me.
"Are you sure your double will be able to take care of things in your absence?" I eye Sir Akerley, who responds by cocking an eyebrow. "I know he's a highborn, but Oliver and his cronies seem to be quite the raucous bunch."
"Well, if Anthony can't do his job well, he'll be the one to take the blame." That sweet smile doesn't fit what you're saying, pal. "Stop worrying. He values his life, so he's going to make sure none of them leave their quarters before the trial. Unlike that bunch of young blood, he knows how to take responsibility for his mistakes. He did screw up royally, after all."
"Screw up?" I frown, and James, too. "Wasn't he acting on your behalf?"
"When did I say that?" Well, huh, right you never did. "I haven't been meddling in my clan affairs for a while, unless absolutely necessary. I answer Anthony's questions when he asks, and sometimes lend a hand when he begs, like today, but that's all."
A silence falls in the car.
Dude, that's the kind of information I'd have liked to have earlier! Because that would mean I've been throwing jabs at the wrong guy all along! The heck, man!
"Wait a minute," I suck a deep breath as Todd ignites the car, "did you or did you not know about Oliver fraternizing with the kobolds?"
"I didn't before today." Sir Akerley yawns, his eyes half-closing. "I did have a hunch something was amiss with the reports I got, though, and I did warn Anthony. Well, I also told him to handle it, and he handled it like a greenhorn. What a mess…"
The vampire patriarch rocks back and forth before finally falling on the side, leaning against my shoulder.
Sir? What the hell are you doing?
"My Lord," he says in a hushed voice, "I trust I won't wake up in a coffin."
"Rest assured," Jordan eyes us through the rear mirror, "I have no intention to stage a coup in your clan. Sleep in peace."
Sir Akerley seems to hum something. The next instant, soft snores echo in the car, his chest heaving up and down. He's asleep. The vampire patriarch is sleeping, defenseless.
"Jordan…"
"Yes?"
"Why is Sir Akerley sleeping against my shoulder?" James also seems, let's say, quite curious about the answer, the shadow of his pointy ears perking up.
"Scott, on what occasion does a highborn vampire take a child form?"
What's with the odd question? Isn't it 'cause Sir Akerly is a weirdo—oh, shit. I feel the colors on my face drain. If the vampire patriarch hasn't taken that form to fool people, then… But he's the patriarch! He can't be…! Who could even…!
"Miracles always have a flip side," Jordan adds matter-of-factly. "Lucy is not a god, and her abilities have limits. When it goes beyond what causality allows, someone has to pay the price for it. Eve took it upon herself for James, but for all those young vampires who should have died during the vampire hunts…"
My heart leaps to my throat, and the unsaid words reverberate in my mind.
You've got to be shitting me…!
A highborn vampire might choose to take on a child form because that form requires less blood to function, especially if they need to conserve their energy or hibernate to recover from deadly wounds. A real vampire child needs to consume a lot of blood; a fake one doesn't.
Of course, that's when they're not in need of blood, thanks to a wound, an illness, or a curse. Well, no wonder they say the vampire patriarch is obsessed with special blood. That's probably their only hope to get him into shape sooner rather than later.
Wait.
Don't tell me…
Anthony isn't acting as the head clan just because Sir Akerley doesn't want to fulfill his role. No, it's because he can't.
"Anyway, he'll be staying over at our estate, too, while his servant rounds up the problematic vampires. You've seen how some vampires looked at him, right?"
Yeah, I remember. Their disdain had been palpable.
"Considering there are traitors in the elders' ranks, they might go after their head clan's loved grandson for leverage. Endorsing that identity is a double-edged sword for Sir Akerley. It protects him, but also puts a target on his back when his double's authority starts to wane."
The car passes over a bump, and Sir Akerley's body jolts. As he floppily falls forward, both James and I instinctively grab him, gently leaning him back against the backrest. His body is so limp it's like holding onto a noodle, and he quickly slides on the side again, this time sleeping against a visibly uncomfortable James.
"Hey, James." I feel my mouth twitch as the vampire lifts his dazed eyes to meet mine. This is too much for your brain to process, eh? Yeah, don't worry, me too. "You've said your head clan has some beef with demons, didn't you? Do you know why?"
"No, not really…"
I turn my attention to my husband. Now I wonder. Is it Anthony or Sir Akerley who has some beef against demons? Who exactly has shaped the vampire patriarch's bad reputation?
"I fear Anthony thinks his head clan is in this sorry state because of a pact with a demon. This kid doesn't seem, well, very open-minded, and most likely, Sir Akerley couldn't refute him either, as he is indeed like this thanks to Lucy."
"But Lucy is not a demon…?"
"That, they don't know."
Oh, the irony. The vampire clan has been going on a crusade against the wrong species all this time.
"Lucy is not a demon?"
Ah, right. James is in the car with us. Todd, too, for all that matters. I pinch my lips and throw an accusatory gaze at my husband, who offers me a light chuckle in response.
Dude, it's all your fault if I make blunders all the time now! I don't have to hide anything from you or Eve! That's having a bad influence on me!
Fuuuuck!
"Scott…?"
"How about pretending to be dumb?" The smile on my lips is clearly strained, but whatever. "You're good at that, no?"
"Well, not as good as you, it seems."
"I had years of practice."
Todd listens in silence, but I'm sure he's getting suspicious, too, with our exchange since he knows about my ability. So, I slouch against the backrest and wave at him.
"Sir Akerley and James know about me." Todd nods. "And Jordan and Eve." Todd's nod is a little slower this time. "I haven't said anything about you, though."
"At this point," he smiles weakly, "you might as well. That aside, thank you for warning me. I'll keep it in mind."
Always so professional. Unlike James, who's now looking at me with stars in his eyes. Curiosity is winning over the uneasiness, isn't it? Sure, why not. I got the ok, anyway.
"Snow demon on the verge of sprouting a fifth pair of wings. His eyes are almost as creepy as Jordan's, by the way."
My husband chokes on air.
Hubby, your eyes are creepy.
"Before we get home," I ignore the wronged look Jordan throws my way, "let me warn you that not everyone knows about me in the estate. The ones in the know are Jordan, Eve, the kids, and Todd. Now you and your patriarch. On the same note, only Todd and Lucy know about Jordan and Eve, so don't be like me, and be careful with what you say."
A sigh leaves my mouth as I lean my head against the window, gazing up at the night sky. The dinner hadn't exactly gone the way I thought it would—I sure as hell wasn't expecting to bring back home an injured patriarch.
Well, whatever.